Natasha Lomas
Natasha is a reporter for TechCrunch, joining September 2012, based in Europe. She arrives after a stint reviewing smartphones for CNET UK and, prior to that, more than five years covering business technology for silicon.com (now folded into TechRepublic.com). At silicon she focused on mobile and wireless, telecoms & networking, and IT skills issues, and has also freelanced for organisations including The Guardian and the BBC. Natasha holds a First Class degree in English from Cambridge University, and an MA from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
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Latest from Natasha Lomas
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US lifts laptop ban for all remaining airlines and airports
The U.S. has now lifted entirely a controversial ban on laptops in hand luggage for passengers flying to the country from the Middle East or via certain Middle Eastern airlines, with the Department of Homeland Security professing itself satisfied with “enhanced security measures in place”. Read More
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Google’s right to be forgotten appeal heading to Europe’s top court
Europe’s ‘right to be forgotten’ ruling, which allows private citizens in the region to make requests that search engines delist incorrect, irrelevant or out of date information returned by an online search for their full name, is set to return to the region’s top court to settle an ongoing dispute between Google and the French data protection agency, CNIL. Read More
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AI data-monopoly risks to be probed by UK parliamentarians
The UK’s upper house of parliament is asking for contributions to an enquiry into the socioeconomic and ethical impacts of artificial intelligence technology. Among the questions the House of Lords committee will consider are how can the data-based monopolies of some large corporations, and the ‘winner-takes-all’ economics associated with them, be addressed? Read More
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Report confirms Brexit’s boomerang logic on data protection
A U.K. parliamentary committee report backs the view that Brexit cannot constitute a “clean break” in data protection law terms with the European Union. Au contraire. The U.K. will likely have to continue mirroring EU data protection rules encore et encore… Read More
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UK’s digital-only Starling Bank adds Apple Pay support
Digital-only UK “challenger” bank, Starling Bank, has added support for Apple Pay — meaning its customers can now add their Starling debit card to their Apple Wallet and make contactless payments drawing from funds in their Starling account via their Apple devices. Read More
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Corelight closes $9.2M Series A to help enterprises battle ransomware
It’s already been a year of multiple high profile ransomware attacks and now cybersecurity startup Corelight has bagged a $9.2 million Series A round, led by Accel Partners. Read More
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Prisma’s next AI project is a fun selfie sticker maker called Sticky
Meet Sticky, the next app from the startup behind Prisma, which turns selfies into stylized and/or animated stickers for sharing to your social feeds. Sticky is launching today on iOS, with an Android version due in a week or two. Read More
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Accel leads $22.8M Series A in Swedish telehealth startup, KRY
Swedish digital healthcare startup KRY has closed a €20 million ($22.8M) Series A round of funding to grow its on-demand video-call-a-doctor business, including expanding into new markets. Existing investors Index Ventures, Creandum and Project A also participated in the round. Read More
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Binary Capital is being sued by a former employee for harassment
Troubled Silicon Valley venture firm, Binary Capital, whose co-founder resigned earlier this week after allegations surfaced of Justin Caldbeck’s predatory behavior towards women, is being sued by a former employee for harassing and defaming her after she resigned from the firm, Bloomberg reports. Read More
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Now you can quantify your cat’s comings and goings too
Cat owners rejoice! Now you can quantify the comings and goings of your furry friend — thanks to an app-controlled pet door that can send push notifications when Tibbles enters and leaves your abode. Read More
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Wayra UK launches accelerator to tackle the ‘poverty premium’
Wayra, the Telefónica backed accelerator network, is launching a new startup program in the UK that aims to tackle the so-called ‘poverty premium’ — whereby people on low incomes pay more for some goods and services. Read More
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GoEuro plugs its data into Chinese travel booking platform, Qunar
Berlin-based GoEuro, the well-funded European travel planner platform, is looking to the Far East for business growth, announcing today that it’s inked a distribution partnership with Chinese travel booking platform, Qunar. Its hope: to capture some of the spending power of Chinese tourists wanting to take less well traveled routes around Europe. Read More
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Google fined $2.7BN for EU antitrust violations over shopping searches
The European Commission has fined Google a record-breaking €2.42 billion for antitrust violations pertaining to its Google’s Shopping search comparison service — in what is widely considered the most significant antitrust ruling in Europe since the 2004 Microsoft decision. Read More
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Sony to demo 3D face biometric running on an Xperia smartphone
If smartphone hardware rumors are on the money, and they are usually at least in the ballpark (with the exception of transparent, bendable phones; apparently forever doomed to be mocked up in Photoshop) — then a 3D depth sensor is coming to the front-facing camera of a handset near you in the not too distant future. Read More
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Fintonic banks $28M to grow its personal finance management app
Spanish startup Fintonic has closed a €25 million Series B funding round to expand into new markets in Latin America and continue developing the product. Investors in the round include banking and financial services giant the ING Group and insurance group PSN. Read More
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Tesco launches one-hour grocery deliveries in London, powered by Quiqup
The grocery delivery wars look set to get cooking… UK supermarket chain Tesco has announced the launch today of a one-hour delivery service in central London called Tesco Now — echoing Amazon’s Prime Now delivery branding. Read More
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VC Justin Caldbeck raised funding in email to accuser ahead of scandal breaking
TechCrunch has reviewed an email allegedly sent by VC Justin Caldbeck, of Binary Capital, to one of the female founders who have accused him of inappropriate behavior — which suggests he tried to use his influence as an investor to encourage the woman to drop the allegations against him. Read More
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Australia wants Five Eyes to squeeze tech firms on encryption
The political rhetoric against strong encryption continues to crank up. Reuters reports today that Australia will be pushing for greater powers for countries to tackle the use of encrypted messaging services by terrorists and criminals at an upcoming meeting of ministers from the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence network. Read More
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Uber has seen a sharp drop in new driver retention this year: Apptopia
Uber has seen a sharp drop in retention rates for new drivers in the U.S., according to analysis of the Uber driver app provided to TechCrunch by app analytics firm Apptopia. Read More
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Female founders accuse VC Justin Caldbeck of making unwanted advances
Yesterday The Information reported on allegations made by half a dozen women working in the tech industry who say they have faced unwanted and inappropriate advances from Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Justin Caldbeck, co-founder and managing partner of Binary Capital. Read More
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